Who Is Tori Ahern Murphy? Daniel Murphy's Wife Was At Center Of Birth Controversy

Daniel Murphy of the New York Mets celebrates with his son Noah after defeating the Chicago Cubs in Game 4 of the 2015 MLB National League Championship Series at Wrigley Field on Oct. 21, 2015 in Chicago. Photo: Getty Images

There isn't a hotter player in baseball right now than the New York Mets second baseman Daniel Murphy, who has hit a home run in a record six consecutive playoff games while leading his team to the World Series. But Murphy, who is married to wife Tori Ahern Murphy, was first well-known for being a family man before he rocketed onto the national stage for his record-breaking streak.

Tori, a schoolteacher from Florida, married Daniel in December 2012 after their relationship briefly hit a rocky patch as the second baseman struggled on the baseball diamond while battling emotional issues. The couple broke up for a period in October 2011. Daniel, a devout Christian, prayed God would “soften the heart” of his girlfriend and allow him to be forgiven, according to NJ.com. He had said that after a long relationship was broken apart, “most people hit the door on that one." However, soon the couple was back together and married.

The second baseman in 2014 showed his commitment to his wife and family. Tori gave birth right as the season started, and Daniel skipped the first two games of the year to be with his wife and newborn son, Noah. Some sports radio personalities criticized his decision.

"One day [off] I understand. And in the old days they didn’t do that. But one day, go see the baby be born and come back. You’re a Major League Baseball player. You can hire a nurse to take care of the baby if your wife needs help,” famous New York radio host Mike Francesa said, via the New York Daily News. Former NFL quarterback Boomer Esiason went on the record critiquing Murphy as well, but later apologized.

Daniel, for his part, reiterated how much he needed to be there for Tori. "My wife and I discussed it, and we felt the best thing for our family was for me to try to stay for an extra day -- that being Wednesday -- due to the fact that she can't travel for two weeks," he said, according to ESPN. "It's going to be tough for her to get up to New York for a month. I can only speak from my experience -- a father seeing his wife -- she was completely finished. I mean, she was done. She had surgery and she was wiped. Having me there helped a lot, and vice versa, to take some of the load off. ... It felt, for us, like the right decision to make."

Before their son was born, Tori served as an assistant coach to her father, who coached a softball team at a local Jupiter, Florida high school. Tori had been a star a University of Northern Florida, winning 22 games as a freshman pitcher and signed on to help while pregnant with Noah.

She enlisted Daniel to help with the job. "He is really talented in not only baseball but his teaching abilities are ridiculous," Tori Murphy said of her husband, according to Sun-Sentinel. "He can see things I don't even understand. He's good at putting things into terms players can understand."